EU warns candidate country Georgia over disputed ‘foreign agent’ law – POLITICO

The Georgian Dream party on Wednesday revived the so-called Foreign Agents Law, a controversial proposal aimed at labeling opposition charities, lobby groups and media outlets receiving foreign funding as agents of foreign influence.

The Georgian government already tried last year to introduce the law – which resembles similar legislation used by Moscow to suppress opposition – but was forced to “unconditionally withdraw” the proposal amid public outcry massive and huge street protests in Tbilisi.

“The EU regrets that it is being considered again despite the strong public and international reactions in March 2023,” the EU statement added.

Georgia was granted EU candidate status in December 2023, despite Brussels warning that the country risked regressing on democracy and human rights.

Last week, the Georgian government announced it would introduce a bill to criminalize the promotion of same-sex relationships, similar to Russia’s strict rules on “LGBTQ+ propaganda.”